Racism is rampant in every industry and country. India and the glamour industry is not far behind. There have been several stories of racist attacks on men and women in the film and TV industry. The latest one we heard of was Ulka Gupta’s story.

Ulka who catapulted to fame with her powerful act as Jhansi Ki Rani in the serial of the same name, started working as a child artist. Her first TV serial was Resham Dankh, which she did at the age of 7!.

In an interview, Ulka has revealed some shocking but predominant facts that exist in the glamour industry. She spoke about how she had faced racism at the age of 7.

She told the portal, “I was very passionate about acting but surprisingly at the very young age, I came across the dark side of our industry. After wrapping up Resham Dankh, my father and I used to go for the auditions on a daily basis. And every time, I was disappointed to see that the producers are looking for a fair girl. According to them, fair girl represents an up market girl.”

She also revealed that she faced several rejections, only on the basis of her skin tone and colour. “I was rejected so many times just for the sake of my dark skin. In fact, due to my complexion, I got a role of Saloni’s daughter in Saat Phere. Since, that show focused on the girl’s courage beyond her dark complexion; the casting directors finalised me. Otherwise, I was rejected most of the time. Surprisingly, after so many years, my casting agent still gets few requirements stating, ‘need a fair complexion girl’. Honestly, I have stopped going for such auditions. Fair hone se koi upmarket nahi dikhta. I want my talent to speak up for me and not the color of my skin.”

Ulka Gupta [born in Mumbai, Maharashtra] is an Indian film and television actress. She is popularly known as Manu as she played the role of Manu (the young Rani Lakshmibai) in the Zee TV soap Jhansi Ki Rani until leap and later Ulka made a re-entry to the same show as Kaali. Her Debutant Film is a Tollywood Movie ‘Andhra Pori’ in which she plays the Lead Character Prashanti. Ulka Gupta also worked in 2015 Telugu film Rudhramadevi.

“Can you believe that; at the age of 15, I was termed as tantrum queen? At the age of playing and enjoying work, I was surrounded by controversies and politics. While doing KHZAM, I was depressed. I was blamed as unprofessional towards my work which was totally false. Trust me; these negative reports did affect my health. I believe that at my growing age, I shouldn’t have been exposed to all these negativity. This was the reason; I did not take up any daily soap henceforth. I wanted to grow up in a normal atmosphere. My whole concentration is on the big screen now,” the actress concluded.